The Induction Principle
by Tempus Mori
Summary: What would happen when an ancient evil attempts to take over Quatre, throwing the Gundam pilots into a battle unlike any they have ever known...UPDATED!
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimers: All normal apply, blah blah blah. Warnings: Yaoi! 1x2, 3x4. As of now nothing much, just implied, later that may change ^_~ Authors Note: This wonderful fic that you are about to read is not, sadly, all mine. You didn't honestly think I was that good did you? No, I didn't think so. Well anyways, this was co-written by the wonderfully talented Holly, known to most as Berrful Hunter. So half the credit for this goes to her, make sure she receives it guys!! Go read her stuff too k ^^. On to the fic!  
  
A slight breeze blew through the small park, tossing Quatre's already windblown hair. He didn't seem to notice and continued to chatter away happily to his silent companion. Every now and then he would be rewarded with a slight smile or a nod, but that seemed enough to satisfy the bubbly blond.  
  
The path they were walking on twisted and turned many a time as they continued to follow it, , occasionally pausing to merely stare at the sky on that day; there wasn't a cloud in the sky, colored a rich cerulean. The jingle of a bell reached their ears. Quatre paused in his talking, looking around for the source of the sound until he laid eyes on a slightly older man waving a bell, shouting, "Ice cream! Come get your ice cream!" to any poor, unsuspecting person who happened to walk by. He offered a smile at the man, who took the Arabian's smile as a sign of him wanting to buy something. Trowa nodded.  
  
"I'll get you some ice cream," he said to his companion.  
  
Quatre didn't bother to be startled, he was used to Trowa's unusual signs of affection. Actually, he found it rather cute. He grinned widely, "Thank you! That would be nice!" He watched as Trowa walked over to the vendor, cocking his head at an angle, not unlike a curious creature would. The taller boy moved with fluidity even in movements as simple as walking. Quatre stepped backwards unconsciously, and a slight sound of metal scraping against concrete drew his attention elsewhere. He lifted his sneaker and a gold band was revealed beneath. Curiously he stooped down to pick it up.   
  
Quatre crouched down and stared at the ring for a few moments before slowly reaching his hand out to grasp it. At first, when the golden ring was in his hand, he didn't feel anything. But as he stood up straight and motioned as if to put it on, a strange feeling washed over him. //You can't hide me forever, young Quatre. My time to surface is drawing nearer and nearer, you cannot hide me any longer!// A dark voice momentarily filled his mind. He removed the ring from his finger and stared at it. 'Where did that voice come from? What did it mean, I can't hide it forever? Hide what?' wondered the blond, staggering back a little. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Trowa coming back with two ice-cream cones in hand.  
  
He shook off the odd feeling and shoved the ring into his pocket unconsciously. He forced the thoughts from his head and smiled as Trowa handed him his cone. "Thank you Trowa!" He licked at the cold ice cream and a goofy grin covered his features, "You got my favorite!" Trowa shrugged and ate his own cream silently. All the weird occurrences from the previous moment forgotten, Quatre picked up where he left off, chattering away and only pausing every now and then to munch on his frozen treat.  
  
Pilot 03 listened absentmindedly as his friend continued to chatter on, his mind wandering to the slight fear he saw in Quatre's eyes. Trowa knew something was wrong; he had long ago learnt how to tell if something was up by the look in Quatre's eyes. And now, if ever, he could sense something wrong. His thoughts started to wander.  
  
"Trowa? I said should we head back now?" Quatre repeated, his eyes creasing with worry as they so often did. Trowa blinked emerald eyes once, internally smacking himself for letting his thoughts wander that far. He gave his silent apologies to the little blond and nodded, "Hai." He finished off the last of his ice cream and wiped off the bits that had melted onto his hand with a napkin, then tossed the paper into a trashcan. "Are you okay?" Quatre's voice broke through the uncomfortable silence.  
  
Trowa looked up, being jerked out of his thoughts which had strayed once more at the sound of Quatre's voice. He nodded, something resembling a smile appearing on his face. As he and the smaller boy started walking back home, Trowa noticed something uneasy in the way his companion moved, almost as if there was something troubling him. He slowed in his tracks, silently alerting Quatre to his actions. "Is there something wrong?" asked the emerald-eyed boy quietly, hands in his pockets.  
  
The Arabian looked as though he was struggling with whether to say anything or not, then smiled broadly. "It's really nothing, I just found this ring." He fished the ring out of his pocket and placed it in Trowa's palm. "What do you make of it?" The metal was nicked and uneven, making it obviously very old. Or at least somewhat. It was almost cold to the point of making the flesh feel hot, but as soon as Trowa focused on this point, the feeling disappeared. He turned it over with his fingers, and in the light he could have sworn he saw a fleck of blood. When he inspected it closer, he saw that it was definitely blood. And quite surprisingly fresh.  
  
"Quatre. Where did you find this?" Trowa's eyes locked with Quatre's, his expression serious and questioning. "We should tell the others." His tone was bland to anyone who didn't know him, but to Quatre it was intense and critical. There was something about this ring he didn't like it all- to that, he didn't want Quatre having anything to do with it. At least, not until he and the other pilots were able to ratify the band free of anything which could harm anyone.  
  
"I, uh...stepped on it. I don't know why I kept it, I forgot I had it until now actually." He seemed quite perturbed by this fact, but said nothing about it, only continued in his questioning. "When I put it on, it felt...odd." He didn't know how to explain the sensation, nor did he feel he wanted Trowa to know, much less experience the odd feeling. Upon realizing this fact, he plucked the ring from Trowa's still open palm and pocketed it again. "Just until we can figure out what to do with it." He said with a smile.  
  
Trowa nodded ever so slightly, but made a mental note to bring the ring up again later. He didn't like the feeling he got, and he was going to make sure he kept it away from Quatre if it was dangerous in any way. No, he wasn't going to let anything harm the angel he secretly loved so much. Many a night he would find himself staring at Quatre from across the room, barely able to control his desire to sweep the Arabian into his arms and kiss him lightly. He knew he couldn't do such things without ruining the wonderful friendship he and 04 shared. He let his mind wander once more.  
  
Quatre looked over at the pilot of Heavyarms in concern. Trowa had fallen silent, not on occurrence from the boy, but the blonde could always tell when it was because he had nothing to say, or because he had no desire to share his thoughts.  
  
* * *  
  
After a ten or so minute walk in silence, the two pilots finally reached their house. Upon entering the house, they were greeted with sounds of explosions, and Quatre blinked, mildly worried, until Trowa cleared his throat and pointed to Duo playing a video game on the Nintendo 64 game system. Duo paused the game, turned, and waved at them, the ever-present Maxwell grin apparent on his face. "Hey guys! I'm kickin' major butt in this game. I think Heero got tired of watching me play, though," the American gestured his thumb towards upstairs, "so he went up to do something on his laptop,"  
  
He wrinkled his face at the name of the dreaded instrument of doom, then resumed his game with a war cry as he attacked the demon hoards on the screen. Quatre laughed and turned and headed into the kitchen. WuFei sat at the table reading some Chinese manuscript and sipping tea. He looked up when the boy entered, nodded his hello, and returned to his book. Quatre gave silent thanks for having another member of the household that drank tea; he didn't really feel like making any right now. He poured himself a glass and sat down at the table.  
  
Trowa remained in the living room, watching with mild interest as Duo exploded another enemy ship. A light, almost-laugh escaped his lips as Duo shouted various cries of war and pounded random buttons, each time his finger came in contact with either a red or green button another enemy being destroyed. But his small smile faded as he remembered the blood on the ring. "Duo." he said suddenly.  
  
"Huh." Duo said, not even bothering to look up.  
  
"Catch."  
  
"HUH!?" his eyes went wide as he turned to catch whatever was thrown. Something hard bounced off his forehead and landed on the floor by the forgotten controller. "Itai!" He hollered, rubbing his head. He glowered at Trowa and picked up the ring by his feet. "What is this thing?" He breathed as he turned it over in his hand. The instant he had picked it up, a wave of cold washed over him. "This thing is...wrong..." was all he could manage. He stared at it in silence, only looking up when he heard a wailing of music. He turned and looked at the TV, "You killed me Trowa!" He moaned, the serious air now broken.  
  
Trowa took a seat on the couch and watched silently as Duo whined and glared at the TV. His eyes fell on the ring, and the blood on it. It looked so fresh and new. "Duo. Look at the ring and tell me what you see." He had to make sure he wasn't just seeing things.  
  
Duo sighed and turned his gaze downward. He started and brought the ring closer to his face, "Is that-"  
  
Trowa cut him off. "Blood?"  
  
Duo looked up, "Yah." Trowa sighed and absently brushed a lock of air from his face, "So I wasn't imagining it." Duo looked very unsettled, and set the ring of the coffee table, wanting to get rid of the cold feeling, "Care to explain."  
  
"Quatre found the ring while we were at the park," Trowa explained, reluctant to speak yet knowing he had to. "He made it seem like nothing was wrong- but I sensed something about the ring which made him uneasy." Already he felt like he had spoken enough to last for the rest of the week. But there was more he had to say. "And now we've both confirmed there is blood on that ring. I don't like it." Silence once again took over Trowa as he sat.  
  
"And you're worried?" Trowa nodded. Duo sighed, "You have reason to be. I don't know what it is, but that thing isn't a ring." At this point Heero walked down the stairs and found the two pilots staring at the small object at the coffee table. He stared at the two but didn't move. Duo noticed after a minute or two and looked over at him. "Heero, come look at this." He said solemnly.  
  
Heero sauntered into the room and sat with one knee under his body, leaning his elbow on his other knee. He glared at the ring when he saw blood on it. For a few minutes, Duo and Trowa watched as Heero observed the band. "This does not seem like your every day ring." said the Japanese pilot under his breath. But the silence in the room allowed everyone to hear.  
  
Duo and Trowa both nodded in agreement. "Pick it up." Normally Duo wouldn't have gotten away with giving Heero a command, but the pilot didn't seem to notice and was already reaching for it before Duo had the words out of his mouth. He slipped it on the tip of his finger, not allowing it to slip down any farther. His eyes narrowed visibly and Duo knew Heero had felt what they did as well. "Any idea what it is?" Heero shook his head, "Iie."  
  
"Tro' said Quatre found it at the park." Duo said. Trowa sat back against the couch as Duo said, "He also said Quatre was uneasy about it." Heero's cobalt hues shifted to the tall green-eyed boy splayed out on the couch.  
  
"We need to ask Quatre about this." said pilot 01, pulling himself to his feet.  
  
Duo nodded in agreement. "I trust his judgment though. The boy is empathic after all." Trowa moved his gaze over to Duo, a little bit more sharply than usual. Quatre's empathic abilities had gotten him into trouble before, not only physically, but mentally as well. Maybe that was the reason everyone had grown so protective of him, most of all Trowa.  
  
Duo shifted under Trowa's gaze and returned to staring at the mysterious golden band on the table. He too was protective of the sweet, angelic boy who had found his way into everyone's hearts, even that of WuFei. "So who's gonna go ask him about it?" Already Duo felt eyes on him- usually he could pry something out of anyone. But for some reason, Duo felt Trowa should be the one to talk to Quatre about the golden band.  
  
He spoke this sentiment aloud; "I don't think my big mouth will do the trick this time guys." He looked over at his friend, "This one's all yours, man." Trowa seemed hesitant for a brief second before nodding and standing up. He plucked the band off of the table and headed into the kitchen. "Hey Tro'." The braided pilot called to his retreating back. He stopped, but didn't turn around, letting Duo know he was being acknowledged, "Good luck man, we'll be upstairs if you need us."  
  
Trowa nodded to Duo and continued his way into the kitchen, where Quatre was now sitting alone at the table, WuFei having gone outside to practice with his katana. "Quatre." Trowa announced his presence in the room. "I need to speak with you," he hoped his voice didn't sound harsh, but the topic at hand was very important.  
  
Quatre looked up from his tea, "Is everything ok?" Trowa shook his head in the negative, "I don't believe you're telling me everything about this ring." He held it out and Quatre flinched at seeing it again. Trowa gave him the 'you-see-what-I-mean' look. He sighed and set down the China cup gently, "When I put it on...it..it spoke to me. I can't remember anymore, no matter how hard I try..." He rubbed his temples and looked up at Trowa. The ring was still in the palm of his out stretched hand and Quatre found he had the urge to snatch it from his grasp. He felt if he held it any longer, it would hurt his jade-eyed companion, and that was farthest from what he wanted. 


	2. chapter 2

Disclaimers: All normal apply, blah blah blah. Warnings: Yaoi! 1x2, 3x4. As of now nothing much, just implied, later that may change ^_~ Authors Note: This wonderful fic that you are about to read is not, sadly, all mine. You didn't honestly think I was that good did you? No, I didn't think so. Well anyways, this was co-written by the wonderfully talented Holly, known to most as Berrful Hunter. So half the credit for this goes to her, make sure she receives it guys!! Go read her stuff too k ^^ I know this one is shorter, but bear with me ^^ Go read! Now!  
  
Trowa sat down across from Quatre at the table, placing the ring on the circular piece of fine oak as he did so. For a while the room was silent, and, surprisingly, it was Trowa who broke the silence. "Try to remember what was said. Take your time." He sat back in his chair, raising his eyes to meet Quatre's for a very brief moment. His eyes were unreadable even to the blond as Trowa started picking up and dropping the ring intentionally on the table, his own way of passing time by as Quatre thought.  
  
Quatre furrowed his brow and let out a lungful of air. He closed his eyes and tried to remember what was said to no avail. He continued on this train of thought and after a minute he opened his eyes and mouth, like he was about to say something. Instead he clutched his head, "Ah!" Trowa looked up at him, concern written over his normally placid face, "What's wrong?" Quatre moaned and held his head. He panted and spoke in short gasps, like someone had kicked him in the ribs. "I thought I had it, but now it just...hurts."  
  
Hesitantly, Trowa stood and walked the four steps to Quatre, gently placing a hand on his shoulder. "Calm down. Take a deep breath." Instructed Heavyarms' pilot, keeping the concern in his voice under control; not wanting to seem uneasy or scared, which he feared would only make Quatre feel nervous. Out of the corner of his eye he glared at the ring.  
  
Quatre calmed down a bit at the feel of Trowa's hand, but still struggled with his breathing. Trowa stared down at his friend, "Can you walk?" Quatre tried to nod, but only managed to jostle his head, which caused another moan to slip from his lips. Trowa looked as though he was contemplating something, then put the ring in his pocket and slipped his arm around Quatre's waist and hoisted him up easily. He made his was up the stairs, doing his best not to move him around too much, and made his way to the room they shared.  
  
Once they were inside the room, Trowa walked over to Quatre's bed and helped the Arabian to relax back onto the soft mattress, all the while keeping a close eye on the smaller boy. He stiffened slightly when he felt Quatre lean on him a little, but he soon realized the blond boy was probably tired and nervous about something, and quickly loosened his muscles. It felt...right, and warm, pleasing almost to have such close contact with his friend.  
  
He sat down on the chair next to the bed, watching Quatre carefully. The Arabian turned his turquoise eyes towards the taller boy and managed a hoarse, "thank you." Trowa nodded, "Are you alright now?" Quatre barely moved his head in affirmation, "I'll be ok."  
  
A few minutes went by without sound, until Quatre caught a glimpse of the ring from Trowa's pocket. A queasy feeling took over him as a familiar voice echoed in his head. //You know you're not going to win. Surrender and we'll see what fate the stars hold for you, young one.// Quatre stared trance-like ahead of him, the voice taking over his conscious mind and drowning out the sound of Trowa calling his name, Trowa going to get the others, and Trowa coming back into the room with Duo, Heero, and WuFei behind him, expressions varying from worried to empty to suspicious in respective order. //Not too much longer...// Suddenly reality hit him, and Quatre shook his head as he snapped back to his surroundings. He looked into everyone's eyes. "W-what?" Someone cleared their throat to the boy's left, and Quatre turned to see Trowa, worry clearly visible on his face.  
  
He blinked, and noticed all the other pilots standing around the room. He blanched, "H-how did you get here?" The others looked on with various states of confusion written on their faces, "You didn't see us?" Duo asked. He shook his head, careful not to do it to hard. "And you don't remember anything you said?" He repeated his action. Everyone looked at each other, then back to the confused pilot.  
  
"What...did I say?" Quatre asked the others, tension building in his voice. The others looked at one another hesitantly. Pilot 04 searched for an answer in each of the other pilot's eyes, but found none until the reply to his question was mouthed.  
  
He blinked again, "What?"  
  
Duo sighed and repeated, "That's the thing...we couldn't understand." Quatre now looked utterly baffled about the whole situation. Trowa looked up at everyone.  
  
"I understood some." Heero nodded.  
  
"So did I." Duo and WuFei looked at each other.  
  
"Well what language was it?"  
  
Trowa looked at Heero. "Some form of Latin?" Heero nodded in agreement.  
  
"Latin? But...I don't even speak Latin," Quatre said, surprised. He drew his knees into his chest and clasped his hands around his ankles. "I don't understand this at all! Ever since I found that ring, something's been happening to me and I don't know what it is," Quatre found himself saying. He felt everyone's eyes on him.  
  
He sighed and rolled over to face the wall. "I'm sorry everyone, I just need to sleep." Duo stared in a mix of sympathy and shock at Quatre's back. This was very unlike him. Whatever that thing was, it was making him very distressed. Quatre winced and clutched his knees, "Please stop that." Everyone looked at him, confused. Trowa looked around at the other pilots, noticing they all had looks of sympathy, anger and distaste written all over their faces. He cocked his head, 'He can feel it...' he thought to himself.  
  
Trowa nodded at Duo, Heero, and WuFei, silently telling them to leave the room. They glanced at Quatre before filing out of the room one by one, until only Trowa was left, his hand on Quatre's. "We need to find out what is wrong, and why the ring is doing whatever it is to you," he said softly. "We'll find an answer." Trowa then removed his hand from Quatre's and brushed his bangs away from his eyes a little. He was beginning to hate the ring.  
  
Quatre grabbed Trowa's hand before he had a chance to withdraw it from his face, "Trowa...I'm scared. I don't know what's going on." He whispered. 03 looked down at Quatre, who had not relinquished his grasp on his hand, "We'll figure it out...I promise." He rarely made promises, and when he did he always kept them. He had no intention to break this one.  
  
"Thank you," Quatre breathed quietly, clinging to the security Trowa's hand provided him. He unconsciously nuzzled his head against the green-eyed pilot's hand, then realized what he was doing and stopped, a very light pink appearing in his cheeks. "Sorry," he apologized quickly, still grasping tightly to Trowa's hand. He just hoped they would find out what was going on, and soon.  
  
Trowa nodded, then realized Quatre couldn't see him, "It's ok." He didn't know quite what to do, Quatre was still holding onto his hand, and it was becoming obvious that he had fallen asleep. He peered over the blonde's shoulder and found his suspicions were correct. The tall pilot sighed, he knew Quatre was a light sleeper and pulling his hand away would wake him and he defiantly deserved all the sleep he could get. He moved and lay down behind the boy, hoping he wouldn't freak out when he awoke.  
  
*He was standing before a mountain of corpses, each pair of dead and hollow eyes from every body staring at him hauntingly, beckoning him to join them in their death. With a thump! he fell to his knees, holding his head in his hands. Something was taking over him again, something evil. "No...no please, leave me alone..." he whispered to the air, not noticing as the dead bodies started rising to limp feet, as if controlled by an invisible puppeteer. Moans from the corpses started filling the air, and his aqua eyes shot open, his hands jerking down to his sides as the bodies came nearer to him, nearer, nearer, hands outstretched, reaching for him... He screamed, and they were upon him. 


	3. chapter 3

Disclaimers: All normal apply, blah blah blah. Warnings: Yaoi! 1x2, 3x4. As of now nothing much, just implied, later that may change ^_~ Disaster warning! There is stuff in here about September 11th. If that bothers you, do not continue! Authors Note: This wonderful fic that you are about to read is not, sadly, all mine. You didn't honestly think I was that good did you? No, I didn't think so. Well anyways, this was co-written by the wonderfully talented Holly, known to most as Berrful Hunter. So half the credit for this goes to her, make sure she receives it guys!! Go read her stuff too k ^^ You're prolly all sick of this huh? Well too bad! You need to be reminded to go read her stuff! So after you're done with this, go fulfill your Gundam fix with her stories! Now! Continue on! Tally Ho!  
  
Quatre awoke suddenly in the middle of the night, screaming. A bead of sweat became known on his forehead as he tried to slow his breathing.  
  
He went rigid as he felt the pressure of someone's arm over him. He allowed himself to turn his head slightly and found a groggy Trowa quickly becoming an alert one at all of his screaming. His brow furrowed in confusion. Why was Trowa asleep next to him? Not that he minded, it was just...uncharacteristic of him. "Are you alright?" The boy's voice snapped him back into reality and he nodded, "Yah, bad dream, that's all." Trowa realized his arm was still draped over Quatre's small form, and he moved to get up, apologizing, "Sorry, I didn't want to wake you." Quatre grabbed onto his arm, blushing, "No, please, don't go."  
  
Trowa hesitated for a moment, and then a warm, true smile appeared on his lips. He figured that if Quatre needed support, he would be the one the blond went to, as they were the very best of friends. "I'll stay," said Trowa, sitting up straight. He yawned a little.  
  
He leaned back against the wall, comfort not really needed. He'd endured much worse than this. Quatre sighed in relief and snuggled down into the covers. He scooted towards the wall, leaving a big empty space. "Please make yourself comfortable." He said tiredly. Trowa was about to protest, but Quatre shot him a look that said, 'don't-bother-to-argue-I'll-win.' He blinked, not used to the smaller boy being so forceful, but complied nonetheless.  
  
The taller pilot took the spot on the bed as he was told to do and sat, every now and then stealing a glance at Quatre. "You sure you're okay? You had us all worried, last night..." Trowa said quietly, holding some of the material of the mattress in between his two fingers.  
  
Quatre sighed, "To be honest, I have no idea. I get the worst feeling when I'm around that thing..." he mumbled into the pillow, eyes still closed. He had no desire to admit that the dark, bloody, horrible feeling he got from the ring somehow satisfied him, and he wanted more. Hence his desire to keep it.  
  
Trowa turned and faced Quatre, sitting cross-legged. "You should get rid of it." He looked closer at Quatre, and saw something hidden inside his eyes. There was a long pause of silence. "There's something you're not telling me...Quatre." his voice was soft and at the same time interrogating. He allowed the room to once again fill with silence while he waited for Quatre's response.  
  
'Damn that boy, how does he always know what I'm thinking?' He asked himself. "You're right...It's just, I feel like I need to figure out what it is before we get rid of it. What if someone else finds it? They could get hurt." Trowa nodded, "Yes, but presently you are the one in danger."  
  
Quatre fell silent and shrugged. "Yeah, I guess so... But I'd rather it be me who gets hurt than anyone else, like you, or Duo, or Heero, or WuFei." he fidgeted with the hem of his pant leg. "I don't know, Trowa...I... Every time I get that feeling, it--" he shook his head. "No. Never mind...I-it's nothing," he smiled a smile he hoped looked real enough.  
  
Trowa raised his eyebrow a bit, a dead give away he didn't believe the blonde for a minute, also a sign he was pursuing an answer. "Explain." Quatre picked at the string he had managed to pull loose from his pants, "It's just...I get the feeling we need to be patient with this thing." He lied. Well, half lied. He knew they did need to be patient, so it didn't show on his face.  
  
"Well..." Quatre started. Now there was no getting out of it. "I..." he paused. Looking up, he found himself caught in Trowa's questioning gaze. Sigh. It was no use. He couldn't bring himself to tell the deep secret he was now harboring. "Um...can we talk about my nightmare first? I think it might have a connection." As soon as the words left his lips he regretted it, for he knew Trowa would one way or another bring the topic back to where he was trying to draw it from.  
  
Trowa nodded, "Hai." Quatre inhaled a deep breath and went on to tell about the mounds of dead bodies, the zombies, his blood-covered flesh. He shook his head, "It reminded me of the old pictures I've seen about the concentration camps back in the 20th century." Trowa raised an eyebrow, curious about how far back in time he went for that analogy. "And you think it's somehow connected to the ring?" Quatre fiddled with the blanket and nodded, "I was wearing it..."  
  
"This ring seems so old..." Quatre said softly, aqua eyes moving up and down the length of the band. "I feel people did great and horrible things under its influence...like the Holocaust. It was terrible...but massive; Great. I don't know. Maybe..." his eyes widened in sudden horror. "Allah, no..." he held his head in his hands. "...I don't want to be another bringer of destruction like back then, Trowa..." Quatre's voice was shaky.  
  
Trowa shook Quatre's shoulder lightly, "Calm down. We don't know if that's the case. Don't jump to conclusions." Quatre nodded slowly, dropping his hands onto his lap. "I don't know, Trowa...I somehow know it was there for that, it was there for a lot of things that went bad." Trowa peered at the youth in concern, wondering how he could know these things. Yes, he'd always been perceptive, but this...Quatre's voice interrupted his thoughts, "I think.... that it..It chose me. Picked me for some reason..."  
  
Blinking, Trowa said, reassuringly, "Come now, Quatre. Why would something that evil want to try someone like you?" A pause. "You're too good for that kind of thing. Quatre." He squeezed Quatre's shoulder lightly.  
  
He sighed, not free from worry, "I don't know Trowa. Let's see if we can get some sleep and we'll talk to the others in the morning." He glanced at the alarm clock on his nightstand; glowing numbers read 5:10 am. "Alright..in a couple of hours."  
  
Trowa nodded, signaling for Quatre to lie down and get some sleep. He wasn't too tired himself; he had lots of things to think about, and sleep couldn't--and wouldn't--come for him until he thought about everything bothering him, and then some. "You get some sleep, Quatre. I'll stay here. If I'm tired I'll get back to sleep." Trowa's tone was the 'don't-argue- with-me' one, yet his eyes were filled with what seemed to be compassion, a stark contrast from their usual blankness.  
  
Quatre smiled, the only true one he'd had all night, and did as he was told. Sleep took him quickly, throwing him into yet another dream. Only this one was a bit different.  
  
*He looked around, quite confused as to where he was. Waves off smoke billowed towards him and he coughed and choked on the dust already settling around where he was standing. People were running by him at fast paces, panic written all over their faces, yet most were silent as they ran, too confused and scared to even scream. Others were starring on in utter bafflement at the twisted wreckage of a once magnificent building. Screaming started and he looked over to where someone was pointing. A plane was flying straight into the twin building. It crashed and fire washed over him...*  
  
A scream echoed throughout the house as Quatre shot awake, breathing heavily, tears building in his eyes. "NO!" He cried, latching on to the nearest thing he could find, which just happened to be the waist of a wild- eyed Trowa, staring at him in disbelief. He'd been watching the blond in his sleep, tossing and turning, every now and then muttering something about airplanes crashing into buildings and fire sweeping over people while others ran for their lives from the falling towers. "No... No..." repeated Quatre, shaking his head.  
  
The other three pilots stumbled into the room for the second time that night. More like Heero and WuFei ran while Duo tripped over them, frantic. "What's wrong? What happened!" Duo asked what they had all been thinking. Heero and WuFei stood in the doorway, blocking his view. He stood on his tippee toes and saw a sobbing Quatre clinging on to an extremely shocked Trowa.  
  
"What the hell is going on here?!" Duo exclaimed, pushing through the barrier WuFei and Heero had created. Heero glared at Duo, thus silencing him. All eyes except for Quatre's fell on Trowa. "Well? Trowa, what's going on here?" Duo said quickly before WuFei or Heero could cut him off again. Trowa remained silent before speaking three words which brought down a wave of worry on everyone, though it was milder for some than others. "I don't know."  
  
Trowa turned to face the three standing in the doorway, "I don't know." He looked back down at Quatre, who was sobbing relentlessly into his chest. He glared at the ring through the cloth of his pocket, knowing it was probably the cause of this outbreak of emotion from his little angel. It seemed to grow warm, almost like it was laughing at them. Any indication that it actually happened faded quickly though, and he wrote it off as his imagination.  
  
"Barton." WuFei said, breaking the silence, "Is there something you wish to tell us?" Trowa kept his gaze on the mattress as he held the shaking boy, doing his best to comfort him. Another tear fell from Quatre's eyes to Trowa's jeans. "Later." said 03, hate rising inside of him for the golden band. "Later." he repeated.  
  
"Hn." Heero turned and shoved the other two pilots out into the hall, shutting the door behind him. Trowa blinked, noting how uncharacteristic of 01 that was, but thanking him nonetheless. He returned his gaze back to the blond, whose sobbing was slowly subsiding. "Are you alright now?" Quatre shook his head and sat up. He sniffed and wiped the tears from his eyes, "I'm sorry, I got your shirt all wet."  
  
"Forget about it." Trowa said quickly, shaking his head, his arms still around Quatre in a comforting embrace. "I have more important shirts. What matters is if you're okay now." He looked down carefully at the blond pilot in his arms, savoring being able to hold the angel but wishing it was under different circumstances.  
  
He leaned his head on Trowa's shoulder, "It was so horrible Trowa...People were literally jumping out the windows of a 100 story building, others were running and screaming...so much fire." He shook his head, as if to clear the images and buried his face once again in the material of Trowa's shirt.  
  
"Shh. It's okay now. It was just a dream." Trowa said, suddenly realizing how much he was talking. Usually it was considered a miracle for him to utter more than a few words the entire day, but ever since Quatre found the ring he had been talking just as much as anyone. He raised one hand to brush some of his hair away from his emerald eyes so as to see Quatre without wisps of auburn in his eyes.  
  
It's not that he didn't like to talk, he didn't care really. He just didn't find the relevance in saying something that didn't need to be said. When it came down to it, a few uttered words meaning a million were more likely to make someone think than just a couple sentences with no thoughts in them.  
  
"Let's go downstairs." Trowa said suddenly, releasing Quatre enough so that he could stand but not enough to lose contact. Once Quatre was sure he had himself together enough to stand, they descended the stairs, Trowa keeping a close eye on him. Upon finally reaching the kitchen, Trowa poured Quatre some tea, relieved when he saw the little blond relax at the smell and taste of the tea. He flicked the light on, dispelling the darkness of the kitchen; the sun hadn't rose yet.  
  
Quatre practically inhaled his tea, not sipping it like he usually did. It tasted better than it ever had before. He sighed and sat the cup down, "Thanks Trowa, I really needed that." The other pilots filed down the stairs, apparently hearing the noise in the kitchen and taking the opportunity to figure out what the hell was going on with Sandrock's pilot. 


	4. chapter 4

Disclaimers: All normal apply, blah blah blah. Warnings: Yaoi! 1x2, 3x4. As of now nothing much, just implied, later that may change ^_~ Disaster warning! There is stuff in here about September 11th. If that bothers you, do not continue! Authors Note: This wonderful fic that you are about to read is not, sadly, all mine. You didn't honestly think I was that good did you? No, I didn't think so. Well anyways, this was co-written by the wonderfully talented Holly, known to most as Berrful Hunter. So half the credit for this goes to her, make sure she receives it guys!! Go read her stuff too k ^^ You're prolly all sick of this huh? Well too bad! You need to be reminded to go read her stuff! So after you're done with this, go fulfill your Gundam fix with her stories! Now! Continue on! Tally Ho!  
  
The first one to say something was, unsurprisingly, Duo. "Q, what's up with you these days? You're not yourself, what happened?" he started questioning Quatre and would have continued if not for a silent glare from Trowa and Heero. The Arabian pilot shifted uneasily in his chair at the sudden spurt of questions from Duo. "Later, Duo." Trowa said.  
  
Quatre sighed, "No, it's ok. It's probably better to explain now anyways. Trowa and I were in the park and I found this weird ring. Ever since then I've been hearing things, feeling things, and having awful dreams. I don't know what's happening, but we probably need to figure it out fast."  
  
Heero narrowed his eyes at the mention of the ring; a low growl audible to anyone standing directly near him. WuFei merely crossed his arms. Duo crossed the space between himself and Quatre, pulling up a chair. "Well, the best thing we could do is take 'Scythe and shred the ring to bits! I present to you, Filet of Ring." Duo chuckled a little at his joke; he was obviously trying to make Quatre feel better. "Yup! Filet of Ring, the newest not-so-delectable meal available absolutely nowhere. Call one eight- hundred five-five-five zero-zero-zero-zero right now to get nothing at all!" He grinned at 04, hoping to be returned a smile. "Baka." He heard Heero say.  
  
Quatre did smile, "Thanks Duo, but I don't think that would work. I have a feeling it won't let that happen." Everyone stared at him, confused. "It..it has a mind of its own..." He explained. "It's done horrible things all through out time, and every time it manages to get away afterwards." Duo thought for a second, serious," What I want to know is why there was fresh blood on it."  
  
"B-blood?" Quatre whimpered at the word, one he had come to detest and fear. "I-I didn't see any blood on it..." Duo nodded at the blond, "Me and Tro' both saw blood on the ring. But Q, whaddya mean it has a mind of its own? It's an inanimate object." the self-proclaimed Shinigami shrugged at Heero, who smirked.  
  
"Is that true Trowa?" Quatre asked. Trowa nodded, "Hai. The blood was surprisingly...fresh." He looked at his hands, puzzled. "Any idea where it came from?"  
  
Heero didn't respond, and Duo shrugged again. "Haven't a clue. It's pretty odd, dont'cha think? I mean, usually if it's in the sun blood dries fast, right? Yesterday was pretty sunny..." Duo said.  
  
Trowa nodded, "I didn't really see it until the sun hit it at a certain angle, then it became obvious." Quatre stared at everyone in quiet contemplation, wondering why he hadn't noticed the blood before now. "Then how come you saw it when it was inside Duo?" Duo dropped his gaze and shrugged, "I don't know." Heero reached up and tugged on his braid gently, and received a small smile in return.  
  
"Don't you think it's strange?" WuFei said, "How Barton only saw the blood in the light, yet you, Maxwell, saw it in the house." Duo glared mildly at WuFei out of the corner of his eye, as did Heero. WuFei ignored them. "Something odd is going on here. And I don't just mean the dreams, Quatre."  
  
Trowa took the ring out of his pocket were it had been residing for the past couple hours and set it on the table. Everyone leaned in to look at it. "I can still see the blood, can't you?" Duo asked. Trowa shook his head yes, as did Heero, the other two did so in the negative.  
  
Heero sat down beside Duo on the chair, causing the braided boy to blush slightly at such sudden contact. The Japanese boy, however, reacted not and glared at the ring, almost as if expecting it to explain itself. Tentatively, Duo allowed himself to lean his head on Heero's shoulder. Heero cracked a very small almost-smile at Duo, but then returned to his stoic self. "I don't like the presence of this thing." he said in a low voice.  
  
Duo snorted, "I don't think any of us do." This received a halfhearted glare from Heero, who returned to staring at the ring soon after. "I think we need to figure out how to destroy it." Quatre opened his mouth to protest, but, surprisingly enough, Trowa interrupted, "I know you say it can't be done, but if it's as dangerous as you claim, it needs to be destroyed."  
  
Quatre frowned at Trowa, taking a sip of his tea. "I guess so... But how, Trowa? If it survived from the 20th century..." this statement earned curious glances from everyone sans Trowa, "...how are we going to destroy it now?" His blue-green eyes wandered around the room. Secretly, he liked it when Trowa held him just moments before they came downstairs. Those few minutes made him feel secure and safe. But most of all, they made him feel happy- or as happy as he could get when sobbing.  
  
Trowa shrugged, "I don't know, I suppose well have to try different things." Duo grinned slyly and Heero raised an eyebrow at him, "What are you thinking Duo?" His grin broadened, "I am the master of destruction my friend, If I can't get rid of it, it truly is indestructible." Quatre sighed, "That's what I'm afraid of."  
  
Heero slung his arm around Duo's waist as he continued to inspect the ring, a low growl escaping his lips at the sight of it, his cobalt eyes glaring at the band. "We'll do whatever we must to destroy it. There's no way we're letting this...thing...escape." his arm twitched a little, and Duo blinked at him, a grin on his face. "I know ya love me, Hee-chan." the American pilot was returned something resembling an almost-laugh from Heero.  
  
He frowned and stuck his tongue out, "Fine be that way." Quatre blinked and smiled, but WuFei interrupted the uh...moment. "As much as we like to see your display of affection, we must think about the task at hand." This time Duo directed his vulgar motions towards the Chinese pilot, who blinked. "That's the American way of saying I appreciate that." He lowered his hand and Quatre couldn't help but giggle at it, having seen Duo use this gesture many a time in traffic, while shouting obscenities and urging cars forward.  
  
Duo started to say something, but was interrupted when a pale light suddenly filled the room. His eyes moved as one with the eyes of the others to the ring, which was glowing faintly. Quiet filled the room for a moment, until Quatre's scream tore through the silence. The little blond fell off his chair and onto his hands and knees, clutching at his chest, gasping for air while the others stood, baffled. Unbeknownst to the other four pilots, the ring was trying to build up negative powers in Quatre, and it was almost succeeding. "QUATRE!" Duo cried, leaping off his seat but skidding to a halt in his dash at the shaking Arabian when Heero grabbed his arm. Trowa shook his head and abruptly grabbed Quatre's shoulders. "Quatre, stop." 03 shook Sandrock's pilot a couple times, firmly but at the same time retaining a gentle touch. Quatre's eyes cleared, and he fell limp into Trowa's arms, passed out, his breathing slowly returning to normal. WuFei looked seriously at Heero, who was staring at the now still form of the blond boy, confusion playing in his dark orbs.  
  
Trowa picked him up for the second time that night and carried him over to the couch, setting him down gently. "Damn it what the fuck is going on!" Duo shouted, worry clearly written all over his face. He ran his fingers through his hair; only causing strands to come loose from his braid. Heero squeezed his shoulder gently and stood beside him, staring at the passed out youth on the couch, whose skin was paler than normal and covered in a thin sheen of sweat.  
  
Duo sighed at the passed out Quatre, stepping back and thus closer to Heero, who still had his hand on the braided boy's shoulder. "What the fucking hell is that thing, Heero?! What's it doin' to Quatre?!" Heero remained silent, and intended on doing so until he heard a rather suspicious WuFei clear his throat. "I don't know, Duo. Whatever it is..." 01 let his voice trail off. "...It's bad." WuFei finished for the Japanese pilot.  
  
Heero nodded. Duo sank out of Heero's grasp and onto his knees, the cold hardwood rough beneath them. He squeezed his eyes to stop the tears. "Jesus, Heero, what the hell are we going to do?" He curled his fingers into fists, cursing the damn ring for causing one of his best friends, one of the few people he actually let himself love and care for, so much pain. 


	5. chapter 5

Disclaimers: All normal apply, blah blah blah. Warnings: Yaoi! 1x2, 3x4. As of now nothing much, just implied, later that may change ^_~ Disaster warning! There is stuff in here about The tidal waves Hawaii used to get. If that bothers you, do not continue! Authors Note: This wonderful fic that you are about to read is not, sadly, all mine. You didn't honestly think I was that good did you? No, I didn't think so. Well anyways, this was co-written by the wonderfully talented Holly, known to most as Berrful Hunter. So half the credit for this goes to her, make sure she receives it guys!! Go read her stuff too k ^^ Yes, you need to keep reading. I'm using my mind powers to make you read! wahahaah!  
  
"Heero, get him out of here." Trowa said sharply to 01, his tone commanding. Duo muttered something under his breath about his hatred for the ring, and Heero nodded at Trowa. He pulled Duo to his feet and walked with him out of the kitchen and upstairs to the bedroom they shared. They climbed the stairs simultaneously, every now and then Duo saying how he would destroy the ring himself if given the chance. The door to their room was half open when they reached it, and Heero pulled the door open, allowing Duo go enter the bedroom first. Both were silent as they lowered themselves onto their bed. "Heero, what's happening to Quatre?" Duo asked, worry taking over his usual cheerful tone.  
  
Heero sighed. "I don't know." Duo buried his head in his lover's chest. "I...don't like what its doing. Not just to the Q-man, but to all of us..." Heero nodded and wrapped his arms around him.  
  
"Hn, I know what you mean."  
  
Duo bit his lip. "What if we can't get rid of it?"  
  
Heero tightened his grip. "We will." Violet eyes looked up into the cobalt depths.  
  
"But what if-" 01 cut him off.  
  
"We will." He said, as if not wanting to believe anything otherwise.  
  
"I hope so." Duo said, nuzzling his forehead into the crook of Heero's neck, already feeling better in the warm embrace of the other pilot. Heero smiled at Duo, tightening his already tight grip on the smaller boy. "Don't worry." Heero said, "We'll get rid of that thing." Duo nodded.  
  
Duo sighed and Heero stroked his hair. "Once again I prove myself as Shinigami..." Heero glared at his lover's back and pulled him upright, "*Matte. He's not dead, nor are we going to let him get that way." Violet eyes misted over a bit before he blinked the not yet shed tears away, then grinned wryly at Heero, "You always know what to say koi."  
  
Moments elapsed in silence from then on, until Heero became aware of the fact that Duo's breathing was softer now, and there was a more peaceful look on his koi's face. He decided it best not to move, lest he disturb his sleeping partner; he knew Duo was having a hard time seeing Quatre in this state of mind, and he also knew the American needed to relax, so as not to get himself sick with worry.  
  
He shifted himself so his back was against the wall and Duo's head was still in his lap. Duo mumbled sleepily and turned on his side, wrapping his arms around Heero's waist. "Don't go." He said tiredly. Heero looked down at him, "I wasn't planning on it." He kissed the top of his head and pulled Duo towards him, sliding down in the process so that now both were lying side by side. "Just go back to sleep Duo, I won't leave." He tightened his grip on the smaller boy as if to prove his point and closed his cobalt eyes, drifting off as well.  
  
Duo waited a few minutes before opening one violet eye to peer at Heero. He smiled, certain Heero was asleep. "Goodnight, sleepyhead," Hearing no response, he repressed a laugh and placed a single kiss on Heero's lips before going back to sleep. 'He's so cute when he's sleeping,' Duo thought before sleep claimed him for the night.  
  
Trowa sat on the coffee table in front of the pale boy. He had been tossing and turning for over and hour now, occasionally he would scream, always echoing somewhere between horror and terror. Trowa did his best to make him comfortable. It pained him more than he ever thought possible to see his angel like this. He reached out and took the blonde's small hand in his, "Quatre...Come back. I...I need you." He said reluctantly to the tortured form in front of him.  
  
*Icy waters towered in the sky, achieving their goal of preaching their greatness to the smaller, more minuscule ocean waves beneath them; the wave poured over itself and bubbled angrily. Someone began to cry out to whatever ultimate deity it was they believed in for help. He froze, fear temporarily paralyzing him as he stood in clear range of the merciless waves. Reality struck him with the necessary jolt from his mind to his legs, which started running mechanically in the opposite direction. Too late...too late. The waves towered above him angrily, laughing as they crashed down upon him. He fell forward then rose as the frigid waters surrounded the entire area around him. Through misty eyes he looked up. So close, he was so close to the surface. His lungs burned. Air! He needed air! The water pushed against him as he struggled to reach the surface. Something was holding him back. Air! His lungs cried and shouted for air! So close, so close! His hand broke the surface, moist air stinging his grateful skin. A hand! Someone grabbed his hand and started pulling him from the water. Almost, almost! Air! He couldn't cold out much longer! Suddenly the hand relinquished its grip on his, and through clouding vision he saw a mildly familiar pair of emerald eyes staring at him in shock. No! He was falling...falling... His hand sunk into the water, twitching, hoping for a rescue which would never come. The last thing he saw was that same pair of green eyes before he choked and the darkness slowly consumed him, his pale body sinking to a watery grave...*  
  
Trowa shouted in alarm as Quatre stopped breathing. "Shit!" He checked for heartbeat immediately and found a steadily faltering one, but it was there nonetheless. He moved onto his knees beside the couch and pressed on Quatre's chest in time to his own heartbeat, which was increasing by the second. He forced it to return to normal rate and hesitated when he realized he'd have to do mouth to mouth. He pushed the thought out of his mind.  
  
Carefully, Trowa pinched Quatre's nose closed and lowered his lips over Quatre's partially open mouth. Thank heavens Doctor S gave him those CPR lessons while in training, which at the time Trowa deemed useless, as he thought he would never need to resuscitate anyone. He breathed forcefully for Quatre, still holding the blond's nose shut. He sat back and counted to ten slowly, and started forcing more air into Quatre's lungs, watching out of the corner of his eye as 04's chest rose opposite of his own. He repeated the process a few times until, while sitting back, he saw Quatre's chest rise on its own. A relieved sigh escaped his lips as caught his breath. Quatre was alive. And he couldn't have been happier.  
  
Quatre gasped and sat up quickly. That is until he met Trowa's lips. His eyes shot open, now fully awake. Trowa pulled back in shock, "Sorry! You weren't breathing." Quatre looked down at his hands and clutched them into fists to stop them from shaking, "It's alright."  
  
Quatre suddenly looked up, right into Trowa's eyes, fear filling his own. "You said I...wasn't breathing?" Trowa nodded once, and the blond continued, this time, more uneasiness audible under his tone. "I-in the nightmare I had... I drowned. And someone grabbed my hand and started pulling me out, but then they let go, and..." Quatre shuddered. "...I...don't want to say." Trowa glared at the tan carpeting, almost as if his glaring hard enough would destroy the ring. Understanding dawned in his green eyes. 'His dreams...effect him physically...' he shook his head. "We've got to get rid of that thing, Quatre."  
  
"I know!" he shouted, "I know." He repeated softly at Trowa's shocked expression."It's getting farther into my head Trowa, it's showing me things it's done. I was right...All of those horrible things in the past, it caused them. I'll bet even the war were figh-" He cut off abruptly, realization dawning on him. "Someone had it." He stated blandly. Trowa blinked, "What?" Quatre looked up at him, "Someone had it recently. The war, this war, was caused by it!"  
  
Trowa was silent until he spoke. "The question is..." he paused, checking Quatre's face for any reaction. "...who had it." 03 scanned his memory for everyone he had ever seen during the war, anyone who he'd met. Were any of those people bearing this damned ring? He didn't know. But he had to expect the unexpected, what with all his training. The only problem was, he couldn't think of anyone who could have held the ring, even with his previous thoughts.  
  
Trowa seemed to have followed Quatre's thought process and voiced this, "I can't remember any political figures with rings, but then again, you're not wearing it and it still effects you." Quatre stared at him, once again astounded by the invisible link he shared with the taller pilot. "That's true..."  
  
"I just don't understand this, Trowa!" Quatre said out of nowhere. "Why does it want to torture me so bad, why?! Is it really trying to kill me off?" he quieted down from his spontaneous outburst. "...Because the way my dreams are headed...that just might happen, Trowa. They're starting to actually effect me. I dreamed I couldn't breathe and died because of it, and I wake up to find out I wasn't breathing." the blond's mind was racing, every second a new thought filling his mind, be it fear, or worry, or anger for the ring. "I don't know what's going on anymore." Quatre said softly. 


	6. chapter 6

'Please don't hate me for this.' The Heavyarms pilot pleaded silently with his Arabic angel. He took a deep breath, calming himself, and hoping that this wasn't going to confuse Quatre even more than he already was. On some level he hoped it would help.  
  
"I...I love you." Trowa stumbled over his words, eyes widening after realizing that he had actually said them. He looked at Quatre's back. He wasn't moving, no signs of response at all. He smacked himself internally, 'Why did I say that? What did I hope to accomplish with it?' He removed his hand and balled his fingers into fists, pressing the nails into the flesh. "G-gomen..." He turned around to leave the room, but was stopped by two small hands grabbing his wrist and uncurling his fingers, smoothing out the red crescent marks left on the palm. He turned to face him, staring down at his hand. Quatre looked up at him, and Trowa fixed his emerald eyes on the small boy's aqua ones. "Ai-Aishiteru." Quatre mumbled, then leaned up on his tipee toes and kissed Trowa lightly, much to his amazement.  
  
Trowa smiled at Quatre once they had broken their first kiss for air. The Arabian rested his head on 03's shoulder; glad he finally got a chance to admit his feelings. Gently, Trowa started leading the blond over to the couch to sit down, hoping for all the world he would be able to help Quatre. The said blond smiled at the tall pilot of Heavyarms, and allowed himself to fall into what he hoped would be a peaceful sleep. He didn't think any nightmares could invade his dreams right now, when he felt so secure in Trowa's arms.  
  
The smell of death was overwhelming. The sight of it was even worse. People were being carted away in wheelbarrows by the hundreds, new victims falling every day, every hour even. Women, children and men alike wondered the streets, pale shells of people, hanging by a thread onto life. Wounds and scabs cluttered their balmy skin, a most gruesome sight. Quatre blanched, eyes widening at the horrific scene before him. Suddenly the ground gave way and he sank into darkness. His eyes watered at the most horrible stench he had ever smelled. A tiny glow emitted from the band on his finger, but he paid it no attention, taking instead the opportunity to see where he was. He covered his mouth and bent over, heaving whatever was contained in his stomach forth. There were bodies. Millions of them. Decayed and rotting, some even fresh. He looked around him frantically, searching for a way out. He found nothing but brick walls. He looked onward, more walls. Catacombs. Suddenly something grabbed his ankles. He looked down to see hands covered in festering wounds pulling him downwards. Down into his grave of corpses...  
  
His eyes snapped open. He found himself clinging to Trowa. Oddly enough he was shaking, and if he remembered correctly in his dream he had been shaking a great deal. Trowa silently wrapped his arms around Quatre's waist and sighed inwardly, he couldn't think of how to get rid of the ring and abolish Quatre's nightmares. Quatre shuddered visibly. "I...had another nightmare... Trowa, this ring's been around since possibly the beginning of time. But we can't let it make it though this generation...we can't!" Tears filled Quatre's eyes. "So many people were dead, Trowa..."  
  
"I'm beginning to believe it can't be destroyed if it's been around for as long as you say it has." Quatre's eyes widened, not believing that Trowa was already giving up. Trowa looked down at Quatre; "I wasn't done. Maybe we can't destroy it, but what if we put it somewhere where it can never be found. Blast it into the sun or something."  
  
Quatre shrugged. "That might work," he said thoughtfully. He would love to send the ring far away from him, but at the same time he wanted to hold on to it, for whatever insane reason he couldn't think of. The damned thing had already almost taken his life. So why did he still want to keep it? The answer to that he would probably never know.  
  
He looked at his watch. The digital numbers read 6:23. His eyes widened, "We actually slept for quite a while. Seems you do well keeping me comfortable Trowa." He blushed slightly. Trowa smiled a little; "I guess so. For a while anywise." Quatre's smile faded, 'Yah, until the dreams.' He shuddered at the thought, then perked back up, "Well I slept better than I have since I found the damned thing, so you've got that going for you." Come to think of it, he'd had that cursed ring not even 24 hours. He blinked at the thought, "Damn...it works fast." Trowa raised an eyebrow, "Huh?"  
  
"I've had those dreams, and almost died because of it..." Trowa shuddered slightly. "And I've barely had it for a day, if even that." Quatre nuzzled his head against Trowa's shoulder. 03 responded by tightening his arms around Quatre's waist. "I won't let it get you, Quatre." He made a silent promise he would do whatever it took to keep Quatre safe. No matter what the cost.  
  
Quatre smiled ruefully, "If only I had a nickel for every time I heard that today." Trowa rolled his eyes and shook his head, "How many times will it take before you believe it?" He laughed, "I believe you'll try. I know all of you will, there's no doubt in my mind you won't."  
  
Later that day, everyone was assembled in various seats, though somehow it ended up with Duo next to Heero, Quatre beside Trowa, and WuFei sitting between the two couples on a stool he'd brought in from the kitchen. Currently, Quatre was going into detail about his experiences since the ring, none of the encounters he revealed receiving a warm welcome from the four pilots the blond was talking to. Heero was the first to speak once Quatre finished off the detail of his last dream. "Apparently this ring has been around for a while. If I remember correctly, Quatre, the Bubonic Plague which you described occurred somewhere in the timeline of the 1400's. If it's truly been the cause of all the devastation you mentioned, then we either have to destroy it or, like Trowa said, send it somewhere it will never be found." 01 finished off his small speech when he saw Duo eager to say something. "Yeah, but Heero, if it's still around it'll continue to cause damage, even if people can't find it. I mean, who's to say it wasn't not in someone's hands during all the things Q mentioned? It coud'a just been buried under some rock for all we know. I'm all for destroying it entirely. But now the question is how exactly to do that."  
  
Quatre looked thoughtful for a second before speaking up, "Every time I had my dreams, it was though I was standing there myself, looking at it. But I've never seen it, how could I know? It was almost as though I were looking through someone else's eyes. When I looked down at my hand once, I didn't really pay attention at the time, but not that I think about it.... it wasn't MY hand. It was someone else's..."  
  
Trowa blinked, then understanding dawned in his eyes, and he nodded. "I...see." He looked down, thinking for a few long moments. His eyebrows furrowed in timing with jade orbs narrowing. Slowly, he shifted his gaze from the carpeting to the angelic blond boy beside him. "Quatre. You say the hand you looked at in your dream was not your own?"  
  
Quatre nodded, "It was tanner than mine, and dirty, older too. There were scars from working with rocks it looked like, maybe a stonemason? Something along those lines. But it was a male in his 30s or 40s I'd say. He was wearing the ring as well."  
  
Duo blinked. "That's weird, Quatre. Really weird." he looked at Heero, who was drumming his fingers, deep in thought. "So, you're saying you were kinda...like, someone else in your dream, Q? Sounds suspicious to me." Duo peered at Quatre out of the corners of his violet eyes. Heero slung his arm around Duo's shoulders and pondered on his thoughts more. "I don't know, Quatre. I don't know." said 01.  
  
Quatre chewed on his lip, searching for a way to explain it. "No Duo...I was still me, it was like I was looking through someone else's eyes. I couldn't control any movements, whoever the man was, he was the one controlling it all."  
  
WuFei raised his eyebrow, and narrowed his eyes. "I've grown to dislike that ring. I'm sure we all have." he picked up the golden band which had been left on the table, and turned it round and round in his hands, narrowing his eyes. "Perhaps we can use our Gundams against it?" Heero looked at the Chinese pilot. "Maybe. There haven't been Gundams in the past to destroy it."  
  
Quatre seemed to perk up at this thought, "That's true, I never really thought of it that way before. Maybe we can destroy it after all." Trowa smiled a little at the Arabic's new found hope. Now maybe he could sleep a little better. Everyone agreed that they could somehow use their Gundams to destroy it, or at least to try. Now the new problem was to figure out how...  
  
"Yeah!" Duo said, "If we all blast at it or somethin' at the same time, I think we could destroy it. I mean, there can't have been Gundams any farther back in history than about...twenty, twenty-five years. Whaddya say, Q-man?" he turned to the blond, an excited grin on his face.  
  
Quatre smiled back in return, "I think it's worth a try. I guess we'll never know unless we try something new right? I mean after all, amateurs built the ark, professionals built the Titanic." Everyone stared at him blankly. He sighed, his history references once again lost on the group. Duo blinked, "Q-man...you really need to get a hobby dude."  
  
"The Titanic was called the Unsinkable Ship, but in 1912 it sank when it struck an iceberg. Almost all the passengers on the ship were either drowned inside the ship because they couldn't get out, or froze in the icy waters of the Arctic. The ark was built way back when, I guess kinda near the beginning of time, when a massive flood destroyed all life on earth, because people weren't kind to one another, among other things. Like I said, professionals built the supposed Unsinkable Ship, but amateurs built the ark, which stayed afloat for 40 days and 40 nights, with all kinds of animals on it, as well as people." Quatre explained to the other pilots, amazed that he was the only one who knew anything about the past. He glanced at Trowa as he shrugged. Duo blinked again, and shook his head. "I'll never remember all these things, Q."  
  
The blond shook his head, "Duo, you of all people show know about Noah's ark, you were raised in a church." Duo shrugged, "Yah, but I never listened to anything I was told. When they figured that out they stopped trying. Well, Father Maxwell did anyways." WuFei rolled his eyes, "A simple no would suffice Duo, we don't need to hear your life's story." Duo grinned broadly and flipped him the middle finger. The Chinese pilot in turn narrowed his eyes, starting to get an idea of what that gesture really meant, contrary to what he had been told.  
  
Duo snickered at Shenlong's pilot before frowning and pointing at the fridge. "We like, lack food. When're we gonna go out food shopping?" 02 looked at Heero and pouted. Heero shrugged and replied, "Whenever." The Japanese youth saw Duo's frown spread more over his face. He motioned to speak, but was interrupted by Quatre. "I'll go get some food for you, Duo." The blond stood from his chair.  
  
Everyone turned to look at him and he blushed, "What? I could really use something to get my mind off of things." He held his palm out flat, "Whose got the keys?" Duo covered his pocket with his hand, "Nuh uh, no way man." Quatre laughed, "Don't worry, there's no way I'd ever ride your motorcycle." The American visibly relaxed, which caused Heero to snort in amusement. Trowa took the set out of his pocket, "I have them." Quatre smiled, "Great! That makes you the designated driver."  
  
"Bring back pizza!" Duo called to Trowa and Quatre as they started for the door. Quatre chuckled at Duo, "We will." With that, he smiled at the three remaining pilots and closed the door. 


	7. chapter 7

Hello again! Sorry for the shortness. We'll make sure to make it longer next time ok? Anyways, you know the drill. Warnings: Yaoi- 1x2, 3x4, some harsh words and bad nightmares, but that's about it. Enjoy!  
  
03 stared up at the sky as he inserted the key into the slot on the side of the car door, his mind somewhere else. He slid onto the leather seat and drew his door closed. He nodded at Quatre to get in the front beside him.  
  
Trowa fit the key into the ignition and twisted it on. Immediately loud music, what Duo called "Heavy metal" started blaring from the speakers on high. Quatre's hands flew up to his ears and he shouted at Trowa to shut it off. Trowa didn't hear, but was doing it anyways. He twisted the volume off with a violent twist of his wrist, the little grey knob coming off in his hand.  
  
Quatre listened as the music suddenly shut off, silence creeping into the car. He drummed his fingers on the dashboard and formed a sort of rhythm. Occasionally he glanced at Trowa while the two sat, many thoughts running through his mind. He supposed he felt a little bit better, but the thought of returning to the ring once he came home made him feel uneasy. A clicking sound was heard as Trowa shifted the gear into reverse.  
  
He rotated the wheel and easily slipped the gear down into drive, having done this many many times. Too many to count. Though most of the time it was at speeds highly illegal. Trowa glanced over at the boy beside him before turning his eyes back to the road. "Are you doing okay?" Quatre smiled slightly, "As well as can be expected I suppose."  
  
Trowa nodded and started driving off to the supermarket, controlling the wheel expertly with one hand, running over a list of foods he and Quatre should acquire once they reached the market. He glanced at his angel out of the corner of his eye as he drove, watching as the blond tapped his fingers in what seemed like anxiousness.  
  
Trowa copied Quatre and drummed his fingers on the steering wheel until the blond youth realized what he was doing and looked over at him, "Something wrong Trowa?" He asked curiously. The corner of Trowa's mouth turned up in a half grin, "No, just trying to get your attention."  
  
Quatre tilted his head at Trowa, silently signaling he was wondering why Trowa had wanted to capture his attention; his shoulders tensed as his mind momentarily wandered to the ring, though Trowa refused to tell him where the band currently was. As he drove, Trowa picked up on Quatre's unspoken question, and replied, "You're anxious. Or so you seem. When you tapped your fingers it made you seem nervous." He stole a glance away from the grey pavement beneath the vehicle and allowed his emerald orbs to meet with Quatre's aqua ones for a moment.  
  
The blond looked down at his fingers, "Oh, I didn't realize I was doing it. Habit I guess." Trowa quirked up an eyebrow, "I've never noticed you doing it before." Quatre smiled, "You watched?" The tall pilot shrugged, keeping his eyes on the road; his way of being embarrassed.  
  
Soon Trowa pulled into a space at the supermarket parking lot and switched the gearshift into park, unbuckling his seatbelt and removing the keys from the ignition with a single tug. He pushed the door to his left open and stepped outside of the car, rising to his full height of 6'1". He turned around as he took a step away from the car and closed the heavy door, making sure Quatre had already stepped outside and closed his own door before inserting the key into the thin slit of metal and turning it to the right, thus locking the car. He pocketed the keys before shoving his hands in his pockets, shifting from the backs of his heels to the tips of his toes as he looked around for a cart.  
  
Trowa grabbed the cart nearest to him and pushed it over to where Quatre was waiting. They walked side by side, Quatre resuming the chatting they had left off at the park the day before. This time Trowa slipped in a few words here and there, making the Arabian all the more giddy. He smiled, happy to see the boy in good spirits, at least for the moment.  
  
They zoomed in and out of various aisles, picking up random items here and there if the other deemed them useful enough to actually purchase. At one point, Quatre came across a card shoved inexpertly amongst a box of cake- batter and extracted it from the mess of boxes, and smiled when he read the poem inside. In short, the worded work of art was about finally finding your one true love. Making sure Trowa's back was turned, he slipped the card in the cart between the box of cereal and Kleenex (it was approaching allergy season, after all.) Quatre made sure Trowa didn't see the card, but in the process of doing so, he made himself seem a bit edgy.  
  
Trowa threw in various foodstuffs that he knew Duo wouldn't eat, and some that he knew he would, intending on hiding them later. By the time they had gotten everything the cart was just about over flowing. After standing in line for a good ten minutes they started unloading everything onto the conveyer belt. Trowa pulled out his wallet and handed the lady with way too much make up on that looked like she hadn't eaten proper food in over a year, the golden credit card held within. The total came to over $200 and the emerald-eyed youth silently thanked Heero for his hacking skills. Not that they needed it with Quatre around, but none of them wanted to mooch off of the small boy.  
  
As they made their way back to the Jeep, Trowa looked at Quatre uneasily, recognizing that look. It meant he was up to something. "Quatre?" Quatre just smiled wider, and more innocently if that was possible, "Yes?" That just made him more nervous, "What are you doing?" The blond looked at him, startled. "Nothing. What do you mean?" Trowa raised an eyebrow but said nothing more. Quatre looked out at the night sky and the almost deserted parking lot, then back to the older boy, who was searching his pockets for the keys. "Trowa?" Trowa turned his head, "Hm?" And was met by Quatre's lips. His eyes widened for a second, then he smiled and kissed him back. Quatre smiled and pulled away, looking at him. "What was that for?" The Arabian shrugged, still grinning, "Just 'cause I can."  
  
"Oh, there's one last thing," Quatre said, the smile still present on his angelic face, "You know how I was writing something just now?" Trowa nodded, curiosity flashing in his eyes. The blond blushed slightly and handed Trowa the card. 03's eyes softened when he read the poem, and the short but sweet note from Quatre. Trowa closed the card and stared at the Arabian for a moment before cracking a small smile, but for Quatre, it was enough to cause his smile to grow even more. 


	8. chapter 8

And now, the moment you've all been waiting for! drum roll LEMON! Now, if you're against it, or its just not for you, you've been warned. But for those of you who do like it, ENJOY!  
  
Trowa gently placed the card into his pocket and put the key in the ignition. "Come on, let's get home, Duo may have already died from starvation." He said wryly, still smiling at the blonde. Quatre nodded happily. "I have something for you too." The Arabian wasn't expecting that and his clear cerulean eyes shot open. "Really?"  
  
Nodding, Trowa backed the car out of its spot in the parking lot, sensing the happy anticipation from his angel in the seat across from him. "I think you'll like it." said 03, pulling out of the parking lot and zooming in and out of the slower moving cars until he relaxed his shoulders, having found a more empty stretch of road. Quatre grinned. "What is it?"  
  
He chuckled, "Wait and see." Quatre gave a muffled, "Humph." Which in turn caused Trowa to laugh aloud, bringing a grin to the blonde's face. He twiddled his fingers in anticipation, not being able to even talk, his mind running over the possibilities of what he could possibly be getting.  
  
Trowa continued to drive as Quatre's mind raced in excitement, not even thinking about the ring, which had almost claimed him previously. Quatre glanced at 03 out of the corner of his eye and smiled. He wasn't expecting a gift of any kind, and was still thinking of what the gift could be when he heard Trowa clear his throat. 04 blinked. "Hm?"  
  
He looked over at Trowa, who was smiling rather largely. He blushed, "What!?" The tall pilot laughed, "You looked like you do when you go over strategies in your head during a battle." The blonde's brow furrowed, "I did? Well...how do I look?" He chuckled again, "Like you're trying to figure out the mysteries of the universe in 5 seconds or less."  
  
Quatre blushed a second time, making 03 only chuckle more. "Well," he started, trying to think of a comeback he could use, "You..." his voice trailed off as he thought. But then a happy laugh escaped his lips, and he put his hand over Trowa's heart, and smiled. "...own my heart." his blush deepened, and his smile grew.  
  
Trowa smiled brightly and took Quatre's hand, placing both of theirs over the blonde's own heart, "Onaji." The Arabian's smile widened, and he thanked Allah that he lived with Heero. Without him he wouldn't have understood that. But he did, and it made him flush even deeper and heave a contented sigh, not relinquishing Trowa's hand. He repeated the phrase to himself. 'Onaji.... means...same. I have his heart too...'  
  
The two drifted into blissful silence, Quatre still gently holding onto Trowa's hand, as the car's tires screeched, pulling into the driveway. Quatre frowned when Trowa said he needed both his hands to carry in the groceries, but eventually put a smile back on his face as he pulled a couple grocery bags from the trunk of the car. Within a few minutes, Trowa and Quatre had found a way to carry all the groceries to the porch. Trowa dug the keys out of his pocket and unlocked the door, mildly expecting to get tackled by Duo and questioned as to how many pizzas were purchased, where the pizzas were, and how soon before he could have a slice.  
  
They somehow managed to make it into the kitchen and set all the bags down before Duo finally entered. He was wearing a loose pair of faded black sweatpants and no shirt, and it was obvious he had braided his hair rather hurriedly. His hair was still wet and he hadn't toweled off his chest at all. As soon as he saw the bags he was instantly upon them, "Ooo! Whadya get? Something good? Where's the pizza?" The American managed to find the microwave burritos before he found anything else, and decided that's what he wanted instead. He grabbed three out of the bag and made his way over to the microwave.  
  
Heero entered the kitchen silently, smirking as he inched up behind Duo without the braided American knowing. Quatre caught Heero's eye but remained silent as 01 suddenly slipped his arms around Duo's waist and spun him around, pressing his lips to his braided love's tiers in a deep, passionate kiss.  
  
Duo's eyes widened, and then went lax almost immediately. He returned the kiss, a goofy smile spreading all the while. Quatre smiled and tugged on Trowa's shirt, dragging him out of the room. This was a rare display of affection for Heero, and he was doing it openly, so he figured that the two of them would do best not to interrupt. Duo jumped when he heard the alarm on the microwave go off, having totally forgotten he was in the kitchen.  
  
Trowa smiled down at Quatre and followed the blonde into the living room, understanding the reason for their leaving the kitchen even though no words were spoken. Once they reached the couch, Trowa was the first to sit down, and Quatre sat on his lap, sliding his arms around Trowa's shoulders and smiling. Meanwhile, Heero opened the microwave with one hand while still holding Duo in his other arm, kissing him passionately. Eventually Duo had to break the kiss for air, but grinned and slung his arm around Heero's waist when he did.  
  
Duo took the burrito from Heero and quickly ate it; putting the other two back in the freezer, finding no time to eat them. He grabbed Heero's hand and started dragging him up the stairs. As romantic as the kitchen was, he preferred the solitude of their room, as he knew Heero did. He grinned slyly at the pair on the couch as they passed.  
  
Quatre smiled back at Duo and Heero as they headed upstairs, snuggling further on to Trowa's lap. Once upstairs, Heero laid Duo down on their mattress and crawled into bed next to him, gathering the braided American in his arms and pressing his lips against the soft pink tiers of 02's. Duo cuddled up beside Heero and kissed him back, twirling a chocolate lock of Heero's hair between his thumb and index finger.  
  
Heero sighed and closed his eyes, resting his chin on top of Duo's head. "Hee-chan?" He opened one eye and peeked down at the American boy in his lap, "Hm?" Duo smiled up at him, "I love you." Heero's face split into a smile. The kind that he reserved only for his partner. "Aishiteru, koibito." He leaned down at kissed him again, savoring the taste of the other boy.  
  
Duo nuzzled closer to Heero, almost as if trying to merge with the pilot of Wing Gundam as he slid his arms around 01's neck, kissing him deeply and passionately. He licked the surface of Heero's lips, and upon being granted entrance, he found his and Heero's tongues warring for dominance. Duo grinned as he and Heero continued to kiss, and froze as he felt Heero's steel-like arms wrapping slowly around his back, tugging lightly at his shirt.  
  
He lifted his arms and allowed Heero to tug his shirt off, only letting their lips part for the second that the cloth needed to come over his face. He fumbled with Heero's shirt as well, not willing to let go of him, but needing it to come off all the same. He tossed both of their shirts and they landed in some corner of the room, forgotten. Duo trailed his fingers down Heero's back, his soft skin enticing.  
  
Heero unconsciously shivered at Duo's light and delicate touch, grinning ever so slightly at his braided love. He squeezed Duo even closer to him and began undoing the rubber band, which kept Duo's braid in tact, kissing him all the while. Duo melted into the kisses, not even caring as Heero managed to successfully remove the band and was now unraveling the yard- long braid.  
  
His chestnut hair spilled down his back and across his chest in waves. He took the ends and traced them over Heero's chest, making the Japanese boy shudder in ecstasy. Duo replaced where his hair was with his lips, trailing kisses from Heero's chest to his collar bone, around his jaw and finally up to his mouth. Heero accepted the kiss greedily, kissing him forcefully yet passionately all at once.  
  
Duo and Heero continued running their hands over each other's chests, stirring heated emotions and intense passion within the other. Heero reached down slowly to the string on Duo's sweatpants, tugging at it with one hand while the other caressed Duo's heart-shaped face gingerly. Duo hardly noticed Heero grabbing on to him as waves of pleasure struck him hard, dulling his mind with pure bliss. The pure happiness and ecstasy only continued when Heero suddenly delved deep inside him. Duo's eyes widened and he moaned a soft "Heero!" before he found lips pressed firmly against his own. 


End file.
